Financial Rewards Successful in Promoting Weight Loss

The reputable Journal of American Medicine Association just published a study showing that participants who stood to gain (or lose) money in order to hit weight-loss targets were 7.7-9.4 times more successful than others who did not have this motivating factor.

I wish this incentive could be actualized / translated for everyone so that they had the same odds of success. Maybe if you want to encourage someone you love to lose weight - you could offer them a dollar a pound. Or conversely, they owe you a dollar a pound they don't lose. Whatever motivates them to make healthy life choices. I am not talking about that stubborn "last five" - - I am referring to unhealthy weight that prevents someone you love and care about from living their life to the fullest.

Please if you have a friend or loved one who would benefit from an introduction to our gym, we encourage you to bring them in or contact us at pureaustin@pureaustin.com so we can help orient them and get them involved in a healthy fitness program that can enhance their life. Unlike most gyms, our ulterior motives are not getting as many people as we can to sign up but not show up. We want our members to be some of the healthiest, happiest, fittest people we know.

If you see this guy....Tell him he ROCKS!!

What to consider when joining a gym.

I read a nice, succinct post today discussing things to look for in a gym when considering joining one. Hopefully you already are happily ensconced in the Pure Austin family.. but if not, please take a look and consider if we fit the bill!

Pure Austin instructor and member Jason Brooks takes 2nd at Palo Duro Canyon 50k

On October 18, 2008, Pure Austin's own Jason Brooks took second place in the 50 kilometer trail race. The ultramarathon took place in Texas's largest canyon, Palo Duro Canyon. Jason came in just minutes behind the leader with a time of 4 hours, 1 minute, and 48 seconds. This broke the previous course record! That ROCKS! nice job Jason.

Pure Austin Members Rockin' the Rocky Hill 24 Hour Race

Going the distance…
Pure Cycling Instructor Joshua Crixell, who teaches an endurance-focused cycling class on Tuesdays 12:00 – 12:45pm at Quarry Lake, put together a team to compete in the “24 Hours of Dirt” at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville, TX on October 18th & 19th.

“Rapido y Facile” consisted of Joshua, Pure Austin members Dave Campbell and James Bryan, and Brandon Barber, a UT graduate student. They entered in the 4-Person Senior Sport category and won first place! Yah!! They logged 23 laps on the course in 24hrs 31min 32sec.

Way to go guys!!

Competitor TX features Kathy Redden and her client Ryan Battle

This month, Competitor Texas magazine featured Kathy Redden and her client, Ryan Battle. The two won the Muddy Buddy co-ed Division last May - and even more importantly, Ryan won the "battle of the bulge". Article excerpts below. An inspiring story.

"The moment of truth arrived on a Saturday night. Getting dressed to take his wife out for a date, Ryan Battle bent over to tie his shoes. All that excess around his waist compressed against his chest, and as he recalls, "I found myself having difficulty breathing." His wife, Kim, had been gently nagging him to beat the Battle of the Bulge, even tugging at his sensitivities as a husband and father of two daughters. "If you're not caring for yourself, do you care about us?" she asked.....

For Battle, a 41-year old software engineer who lives in Austin - a guy who played college soccer at 165 lbs, but had since ballooned to 240 - that epiphany arrived when he mentally slapped himself in the face after tying his shoes. "Internally," says Battle, who is six feet tall, "I said enough's enough" The shoe moment arrived in August 2006. Six months later Battle was down to 190 lbs, where his weight has settled; though in the heat of the baking Texas summer he dropped to as low as 186. "

The article details his lifestyle changes, workouts, and how meeting Kathy Redden, Fitness Specialist as Pure Austin, helped him turn his health around. In his own words, "I just need someone to kick my ass", and Kathy did just that. Battle says, "She's the person most responsible for my weight loss." Kathy and Ryan meet three times a week, with weight resistance and core exercises. She also changes his routine almost daily.

More about Kathy and Ryan (and their Muddy Buddy victory) in this month's Competitor Texas, available for free throughout town and also at Pure Austin.

Small businesses explore the (cost) benefits of Fitness

From the New York Times, a group of small business owners in an economically-depressed area of Michigan are finding that it pays to invest in their the employee's health via fitness and wellness programs and benefits. Interesting, because this informal consortium of small business owners find it worth their time to get together personally and brainstorm ways to help their employees.

Interesting also - the article notes that several states (Maryland, New Hampshire, Rhode Island) have recently required health insurance companies to offer wellness benefits to small business employees.

In a competitive job climate, with nimble small and medium-sized businesses looking to keep their employees healthy, committed, and happy, providing health and wellness benefits on top of "insurance" is the way to go. Personally, I make sure I schedule myself so that I get a good workout in - I am so much more productive and happier that way.

Jack LaLanne says...

What does Jack LaLanne know about fitness? At 94, he has accumulated quite a bit of knowledge that he can back up. He looks great, and also is still "with it". In some snippets from his interviews in Outside Magazine and on Shareguide, he gives some of his philosophy for a long, healthy happy life. Among his suggestions --uh, exercise! Every day! Read more of Jack LaLanne interview here.

What is it about those headstands that is sooo good for you?

In the 70's my dad had this "inversion board". It kind of freaked me out, but my not-especially-new-agey father seemed to think it was worth a upside-down hang every couple of days. Apparently he was onto something, despite himself.

I find headstands really "change my perspective". Haha, get it? But they do. If I am in a solid funk that is caused by some repetitive thought that is not serving me any good, and I just can't seem to shake it, a few minutes on my head can really loosen some neurons (in a good way).

Do you know how many benefits headstands have?? A LOT! Natural News gave a laundry list of them. Among them, these five:

1) Natural 'face-lift'! Reverses gravity, brings fresh oxygen to the face, fresh blood helps eliminate toxins.
2) Thicker hair, fewer greys due to increase in blood supply to follicles and scalp. Nutrients to the noggin!
3) Hormone (and hence mood) regulation via blood flow to the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands. These master glands help regulate many of the other "glands" in the body. Happy glands = happier mood, better sex, healthier outlook.
4) Lymphatic circulation and drainage. Get that stuff moving, cleansed, circulating on out!
5) Let that blood that has been pooling in your feet and legs all day turn around and go back through your heart and get some fresh oxygen to it. Personally, I think this helps combat varicose veins as well!

There are a bunch of other benefits listed with our friends at Natural News.

Gotta go, time to stand on my head!

Try Virtual Biking with the Expresso Bike

The Expresso Bikes are located in the "main" cardio area at Town Lake. These new bikes are pretty darn cool. You can pick a "course" and enjoy the visual "virtual" biking video while you sweat. You interact with the riders on the screen, you can set a pace rider, select music tracks, and ride with or compete against other riders on a network. The handlebars even move!? Check out this review and video. Or just come in and check them out. We would love your feedback. Email infoTL@pureaustin.com and let us know what you think!

Support Mountain Biking Singletrack at Big Bend!

Did you know that 95% of land in Texas privately held? This makes us the state with the lowest percentage of public lands in the US. But we do have some beautiful public land, like the treasure of Big Bend National Park. What an amazing place to visit! Right now, there is open public comment about the creation of a mixed-use singletrack trail for mountain bikers, hikers, equestrians in Big Bend. Are you interested in commenting? The International Mountain Bike Association supports the creation of this trail, which is proposed to be constructed using best-practices techniques, in conjunction with National Park Service and with what seems to be great cognizance of environmental impacts. Read for yourself, and if you are interested, please comment. The addition of well-designed, minimal impact singletrack to Big Bend sounds like one more great place to enjoy the fall in Texas.

Salut! to the Pure Athlete

This weekend was quite the weekend for events in Austin; most noteworthy were the Nike+Human 10k run and the Austin Triathlon. Congratulations to all those who took part in these significant events! You rock! Salut!

Myself, I did not get a chance to participate in these events. Having just had a baby, time seems short, and circumstances did not coordinate just right to get me there, let alone train. I got the local race reports second-hand, not necessarily the easiest to swallow for an often competitive person missing the game. While driving to my favorite run spot Sunday morning, I had to make great effort to not swipe the car next to me while I rubber-necked by the race course, then had 5 hot miles to reflect on the nature of the athletic beast.

So, I want to also offer a "yah!" to every other athlete out there with me this morning. "What's up!" to all the other moms, dads, grandmoms and dads, singles, doubles, and every others (plus dogs) who I saw out running, walking, strolling, skipping or jumping out there in the heat, just because. It might not have been sexy or our PR but we were out there, and that is a billion times better than not being out there, every time.

"All right!!!" to the person driving the car pulling out of the blind corner that took the time to look both ways, then back again one more time, and thus paused when a cyclist came screaming down the road. I could only imagine that you too have been on a bike in that situation, and so you knew to look that extra time. Phew. Thank you.

"Rockin!" to the man I saw circling for a parking spot at Whole Foods and then found one farthest away from the store, but emerged from your car unflustered and fine, knowing that the extra 100 feet wasn't only going to not kill you, it might actually be better that way.

"Right on, man" to the guy who I passed running up a hill, who nodded and smiled, rather than speeding up and looking annoyed. We both know it was probably your long run, in a series of long runs, and I was just banging out 5 miles at a faster pace. We were both doing great, we were both out there. We rock!

"Wow, I had no idea" to every parent, person who works long tough hours, or anyone else with numerous obligations who still makes it out to do something for your physical health every day. Small steps over time create big results. Every time makes a difference, even if it's a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood after work, or taking the stroller for a second or third loop that day (even if it's the same, becoming mind-numbing, loop). You can always download some interesting podcasts and learn something new.

"Hey, Austin, right on!" The Free Day of Yoga in Austin on Labor Day is such a great Austin-phenomena. I went to a class that had 52 people in it! I love the Austin yoga culture. Namaste, brothers and sisters!

"Thanks, dude" to every boss (like my own) who understands when you are going to be late because the baby was upset or that you need to take some extra time at lunch so you can go for a run. Thanks because I can pass that vibe on, I get to tell my husband it's not a big deal when he wants to add an hour on to his ride, or I can make sure my nanny gets out in time to make yoga class. It's really cool to be able to pass it on.

Hey, so, salut to all the athletes out there. Everybody who made the time to honor their body and health and life, and everyone else who honors that commitment by supporting it. That's the backbone of what I consider a Pure Athlete.

Can I get "awwwwYaaaa!"

A Pure Austin big congratulatory shout-out to member Rick Wells and Don Roach, who completed Ironman Coeur D'Alene in July. A truly remarkable feat!

Sugar alternatives - some sugar 101

Give me some sugar, baby! I like to get my sweetness the super-all-natural way -by someone I love, showing me some love. Added and especially fake "sugars" give me the creeps. I was just reading a (rather lengthy ) blogpost discussing fructose, glucose, high-fructose, etc. etc. I am going to distill it down to a over-simplified sentence of two. Too much fructose seems to raise triglyceride levels, and can cause symptoms like (or actual) fatty liver disease, among other things. Or as this author on The Modern Forager put it, "The body works very hard to keep blood glucose in a narrow range, through careful administration of insulin. Too high and all kinds of damage can be done, too low and all kinds of death can occur." My body works hard enough as it is, I don't need to stress it out any more than necessary.

The post shows a nice comparison of fructose levels in fruits (though high by percentage, not by actual numbers) versus your added "fructose". Even you healthy fair-trade all-natural organic cookies with evaporated cane syrup are probably going to realistically get a "thumbs-down" on this one. Is it worth it?

A healthy liver (and a healthy body) will operate more efficiently with the right fuels. Avoid processed foods and especially high fructose corn-syrup. Please. Find your sweetness from natural fruits or give someone you love a hug, or your dog, or a (willing) stranger if you are the type of person who can get away with that sort of thing. Other "sweetener" alternatives that are worth considering are stevia and xylitol, both of which are in the Whole Foods supplement section, and are becoming more commonly added to your "all-natural" food products and protein supplements.

Take care!

The "Human-Powered" Gym

How cool is this? A "human-powered" gym in Portland, Oregon (of course!) One of our members, Ashley, sent this link to us at infoTL@pureaustin.com. We enjoyed it so much. How does the saying go -- imitation is the highest form of flattery? Well, we hope to flatter this Portland gym more and more in the future. Thanks for the info, Ashley!!

"Blue Zones"- what are the habits of cultures where people live the longest

I thought this was an interesting article, it is an interview with the author of "Blue Zones". He visited areas throughout the world where small populations are living very long, healthy lives, and discusses some of the commonalities between them.

The "You-Staying Young" Quiz

I thought this was pretty cool. During a recent bout of insomnia, I happened upon the Oprah.com website, where they have a very elucidating quiz about how you are aging - according to your lifestyle habits, diet, exercise, etc. I tend to think of myself as having very healthy habits, but even I did not get in the top percentile! I learned that I need to have some more humor in my life/ take things less seriously, and that my husband needs to air his dry-cleaning out outside of the house, or preferably go to the Eco-Mat we are so lucky to have in Austin.
Try it out!

Fitness Specialist = Workout Harder, Better Results

Fitness Specialists can help you bring your game to the next level. Check out what Susan has to say about training with Nathan!

Training with Nathan has completely changed the way I feel about exercise and my health. I've always been pretty active, but I never really pushed myself to see what I was capable of. And there's no way I would lift weights on my own: no *WAY*. But now Nathan is the boss of me, and he is the best. He has helped me become stronger and healthier than I ever thought I could be. Plus, he's hilarious...I look forward to seeing him every week. The workouts are always different, they're fun, and they work. I've lost weight, I feel better about life, and now I spend a lot more time in a bathing suit. I'm going to Barton Springs! Thanks Nathan!

Interesting Article on CNN.com about the financial returns on investing in "wellness" in the workplace

This story caught my eye today, a happy line amongst the otherwise discouraging news that seems to frequent CNN.com. A 565-employee blue-collar plant in Lincoln, Nebraska has invested in a wellness program (for the past 16 years!) with 3 full-time employees dedicated to worker-wellness, offers on-site massages and pre-shift stretching to employees, as well as regular body fat tests, and a rewards programs for employees that meet certain health-standards, etc. Most noteworthy of all, the company saves about $2 million a year in health-care costs, despite investing $4000 in each employee.

Wow. That is pretty amazing. And it's at a factory in Lincoln, Nebraska. Seems like an unlikely setting for such progressive thinking. Imagine what we could do here in Austin!!

Yoga Birthday Musings from Zoe!

This week marked my birthday on July 16th. I was subbing a yoga class at 8am at TL that day and decided it had to be a celebration yoga class. It's not often you get to do handstands, splits, and backbends all in an hour before you sip your morning coffee! Although I have to admit to sneaking a slice of birthday cake at 7am before I left the house! ~Zoe

Ryon's Ironman Switzerland - Ironman's Hurt

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Beginning to sound like a broken record? I went to Zurich Switzerland to attempt to get that much elusive Hawaii age group spot. Was I close? Not even...

I wanted knock out this race report in one swoop and let you all know that I gave it everything that I had. I don’t think that anyone wanted it more than I did. The marathon particularly the last half of the marathon has been an issue in every Ironman that I have ever done. I did what I thought was all the preliminary training requirements necessary to finally overcome the grulling distance.

Race morning it rained, rained and rained and continued to rain all through transition set up. I hate rain and I certainly hate being cold. For the first time ever I was happy to put my tri suit on and get in the water (water was warmer) with 2500 + people. Actually it was more around 2000 people because some people woke up at 4:30 a.m. and decided that doing an Ironman in the rain and 50 degree weather didn’t seem like such a good idea. Believe me, the thought of staying in a warm, dry, bed crossed my mind....

The swim went surprisingly well (for me). I don’t fancy myself a particularly strong swimmer but I came out feeling good. Got beat up a little bit because it was a two loop swim (1.2 miles each) and I never really could separate myself from pods of 20 or more swimmers. Despite that I was real happy with my time as I looked at my watch while running up the beach.

The wet tri suit came off, the wet cycling shoes went on. Did I mention that it was raining? The game plan changed a bit. I do fancy myself a cyclist but right off the bat the fact that I had to pedal a bit conservatively because of the wet conditions on the down hills and the corners. It was frustrating that one of my only weapons (the bike portion) was compromised. What a beautiful course! The mountains that remind me of the Rockies of the Northwest, hills and countryside that reminded me of the Palouse of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. If it wasn’t raining I thought that at any moment "Heidi" might appear coming off a hill top hearding a bunch of goats... :)

It was back to the transition after clawing my way back into the race after the bike. It was back to wet running shoes but confidence that the marathon was going to go well after all the work I had done since January. The first 10K loop (four loops total) things were going well. No residual fatigue from the climbing and rolling hills of the bike portion! I had a pretty good stride and a slight spring in the ol’ legs. Could it be that I was finally going to do it? The second 10K I began to feel the first wave of quad pain. I played it off as mind simply trying to get me to stop after being 8+ hours in to exercise. Mind over body right? By the third loop the pain was only bearable if I slowed my pace down a bit. On the 4th loop (last 10K) my legs were screaming. I could have been anywhere else but in downtown Zurich running a marathon. Perhaps getting a tattoo on my face, a root canal, or maybe passing gall stones...

I finished and as always I finish with a new respect for the that distance. I also have a newfound respect for those who do it and do it well! It is a distance that I’ve done a few times but now as I travel around Switzerland and Germany and have time to reflect; Why make qualifying for Hawaii be one of the definitive moments in my life? I’m pretty sure I know but don’t really want to share. I love triathlon and will continue to race but I'm thinking that Ironman Switzerland may be my last at that particular distance. Time makes us forget details, serious details. I'm not trying to say the two are similar (Ironman and giving birth) but if a person could truly "remember" how painful giving birth was there would be a lot of mothers who would stop at one child. If people who know it hurts but could really "remember" how painful Ironman is they would stop at one as well. After seven Ironmans I'm done giving birth...


Ryon Talbot
Pure Austin Fitness
Master Fitness Specialist/Triathlon Coach

"The Body Becomes Its Function"....

Welcome new Fitness Specialists!

We are delighted to add four Fitness Specialists to our team. Chelsea has an extensive fitness background, and just relocated to Austin from Key West, Florida. We are so excited she made the jump! Daniel has been a manager at the gym for a while, and he just moved into the fitness specialist position so that he could work hands-on helping others improve their health and general well-being. Tiziana is a familiar face at the gym, as this jill-of-all-trades has been teaching a number of group fitness and pure cycling classes, getting everyone in great shape and teaching them the tricks that keep in her such great condition! Adam has been working the smoothie bar at the Quarry location, and one glance at him and you know that he knows his stuff. We are so excited to add these new friendly faces to our already phenomenally talented fitness specialist team. If you are interested in meeting them for a consultation or session, email them at firstname@pureaustin.com, i.e. daniel@pureaustin.com, chelsea@pureaustin.com, etc.

ATT Downtown Criterium Race Recap

The 5th year of the ATT Downtown Criterium was a huge success, wowing spectators who got to watch the super high-speed action take place through the loop that ran through the 2nd and 4th street districts of downtown. This was the first year the race was put on the National Racing Calendar, so the action was made even faster by all the pros that came to town. Rock Racing, Toyota United, Colavita Sutter Home, Team Advil-Chapstick (featuring Pure Austin's own Jen McRae), Team Hotel San Jose/Texas Tough (with Pure Austin's Will Ross), and many, many more were in town for this crazy event. The race day started off with thundershowers, making the course slippery and even more precarious for the first races. If you did not get a chance to make it out for this event, you can catch some of the action every Thursday night at the "Driveway" in East Austin for the spectator friendly Driveway Crit Series. Read the event coverage and see pictures from the Cycling News coverage. Even VeloNews was in town covering the event.